The Switch is turning into an 8/16-bit game fan’s paradise as of late, there are so many awesome little downloadable titles showing up on the eShop these days. When I saw that the sequel to the fantastic auto-runner Kid Tripp was coming out and that it had retro graphics that reminded me of Adventure Island… I was sold.
Miles & Kilo is a hard-as-nails platformer where the levels will take you only 30 seconds to a minute to complete. That is, if you beat them the first time, which you won’t. Built for speed running, Miles & Kilo is tough but fair. Like I said in my First Look video, this game already looks like it’s going to be a speed-runner’s paradise.
With fractions of a second being the difference between A and S ranks, it would be frustrating if the controls were subpar. Thankfully that is not the case here. In fact I would say that the controls are right up there with another favourite of mine: Celeste. If you fail a level it won’t be because of button lag or bad controls, you just have to get good. While Kid Tripp was an auto-runner, Miles & Kilo isn’t. Or at least it isn’t at the start. You can turn that option on in the settings should you prefer, but I left it off for the entirety of my playthrough. When you do die in the game you’ll instantly restart the level without any load times, removing any possible frustration that would come from multiple retries.
The game’s 36 levels are divided into themed worlds with an overmap reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3 (nice touch). Each world has a different look, different enemies and ends in a challenging themed boss battle. Beat the boss and you will gather another piece of your destroyed plane and get one step closer to leaving this mysterious set of islands.
In each of the levels you’ll be graded on three criteria: the time taken to complete the level, number of coins collected and the number of your fruit ammo remaining in your inventory. Do well in all three areas and you’ll earn the coveted S rank. This game is tough, so S Ranking every level will be one heck of a feat to be proud of.
While you’ll be controlling Miles for most of the levels, you will get the chance to play as Miles’ trusty doggo — Kilo from time to time. Playing as Kilo is a totally different experience. Kilo does autorun in the levels, and you will not be able to throw fruit at enemies. Instead you can do a Sonic the Hedgehog-like dash attack. It was nice to have some variety while playing the game. Kilo’s levels seemed to come up at just the right times to help with any frustration I had from replaying previous levels over and over.
I simply loved this game’s catchy chiptunes; no matter how many times I died in a level I still found myself bobbing my head in time to the music. The sound effects, on the other hand, were all quite simple. This is a retro throwback though so they didn’t seem too out of place.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing Miles & Kilo. The tight controls and wonderful music kept things feeling fun, even when replaying a level for the 53rd time. The Adventure Island-style visuals and different world themes kept things fresh. I’ll still be playing this game for some time as I work to S-rank as many levels as I can.
Pros:
- Tight controls
- Amazing music and visuals
- Only $8 on the eShop
- The name is pretty damn clever
Cons:
- 36 Levels may seem a little light to some
[yasr_overall_rating] 4.5/5
I played a digital copy of Miles & Kilo that was provided by Four Horses. If you have any questions on our review scale please see our About page.
